Leche Asada — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A silky, caramelized baked custard of sweetened milk, eggs, and vanilla with a deep golden top — Chile's beloved everyday dessert.

Ingredients

1L whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
For caramel: 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp water

Instructions

1 Make caramel: heat sugar and water in a saucepan until amber. Pour into a baking dish, swirling to coat the bottom.
2 Heat milk with sugar until sugar dissolves. Cool slightly.
3 Beat eggs with vanilla. Slowly whisk warm milk into eggs to temper.
4 Strain custard into the caramel-lined dish. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
5 Place in a water bath. Bake at 170C for 45-50 min until set but still jiggly in center.
6 Cool completely, then refrigerate. Unmold onto a plate before serving.

Did You Know?

Leche asada is so common in Chile that it is the default dessert in school cafeterias and family dinners — every Chilean child grows up eating it weekly.